Distance: 63 km
Time elapsed: 3 hrs 55 min
Max speed: 40.9 km/ hr
Temp: 39 C
Weather: not terribly hot except for midday, fixing popped tire on
side of highway. Strong headwinds. Chilly and windy evening by water.
Despite being out so late at the Internet cafe we managed to wake up at a decent hour and get going while it was still cool.
Everyone we had met from our hotel (mostly Syrian-Turkish families) was very excited to hear about our journey, offering a bed in their homes if make it to the east of the country (though we don't plan to, who knows?). As we departed, dragging our bikes and gear down the front stairs, they and other curious onlookers and nearby cafe propriators wished us a safe journey.
Chris samples fresh peach and blackberry juice as we leave town
The road out of town stretched ajacent to the water, passing through a few small towns along the way for about 25 km. Then we switched highways to a southern route, which was unfortunately in very bad condition. It was paved and had a good shoulder (and very few cars) but the quality of the asphalt was awful.
A note on asphalt: I am amazed at how many varieties of asphalt there are. From the passenger seat of a car you'd never know how the tar's texture and quality so drammatically effect a tire's efficiency and drag. I imagine a great deal of gas mileage is wasted by billions of cars everyday who are driving on low grade roads...
This is what a bad road looks like
Anyway except for Chris' flat tire, which somehow took an hour to fix on the side of the hot, dusty road, we pretty much made it down the coast with ease. Stopped in a few restaurants and gas stations to fill our bottles with su, bought some fruit from one of the beautiful roadside stalls in the village just before the beach, and even caught a wireless signal outside a middle-of-nowhere hotel resort.
Stocking up on village fruits
Our route took us past a small harbor town, Akkum, full of boats, mini markets for beach goers, and a well intentioned but sadly ignored park. Up around the corner we could see other popular beach coves packed with people and windsurfers.
Back on the water!
We continued around the mountain to Teos, a 3rd century BC archaeological site, once a prominant port town. Aren't they all prominent port towns? Now it's nothing but crumbled chunks of stone and two standing pillars hidden among an olive grove.
Once grand port city of Teos
Tonight: beach fire! We cooked up some lentils and couscous, relaxing as the few stragglers and fishermen left for the evening. Well fed, good sunset. Tomorrow we'll tackle the cove.
Chris prepares our fire by the sea!
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